Substituted phenoxy pyridine methyl esters of cyclopropane carboxylic acids are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,787 issued Aug. 7, 1979. These compounds are taught to be useful in the kill and control of various insect pest. These compounds are taught as being prepared by the reaction of an appropriate substituted phenoxy methanol with an appropriate 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2-dihaloethenyl)cyclopropane carboxylic acid halide.
While the above procedure is efficient in the preparation of the desired compounds, the cost of the substituted phenoxy pyridine methanols used in that procedure has made the so prepared desired compounds very expensive and less attractive for exploitation.
The substituted phenoxy pyridine methanols are prepared from the corresponding picolinaldehyde which in turn is made from the corresponding methyl picolinate. It is the cost of the above aldehyde and picolinate intermediates which makes the cost of the methanols so high. New processes for preparing these materials are being sought.